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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25044019">A Nearly CATostrophic Start</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWitheredCat/pseuds/TheWitheredCat'>TheWitheredCat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Autistic Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Child Abuse, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Parent Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:00:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,067</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25044019</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWitheredCat/pseuds/TheWitheredCat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Plagg first met Adrien, they weren't automatically the pun-loving duo that we know and love today. The Kwami found nothing wrong with his new Chosen, it was just that the boy was hard to figure out. He was unlike the holders that he had had in the past, making it all the more challenging to get a grasp on what made him tick. Being a Kwami of mischief, Plagg always made it his mission in life to get to know his partner's weak spots (so that he could later exploit them, likely for cheese). But how could he do that with a partner that was so difficult to read? It seems that he would have to try to get to know his new kitten a little bit better than the ones of the past. He supposed the Camembert would just have to wait a little while longer.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>148</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Nearly CATostrophic Start</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a short re-imagining of Plagg and Adrien's first week as partners based off of the popular headcanon that Adrien is on the spectrum (autistic). Trigger warning for sensory overload towards the end of the story, and for hints of parental abuse. Neither Gabriel or Nathalie actually show up in this short story, but they are mentioned. This is basically how I would imagine their relationship would start off.</p><p>Originally this was just a prompt that I did as a writing warm-up, but it got a lot longer than I first intended it to be. It wasn't really written to be a story, but I figured why not contribute to the stash of Autistic!Adrien content? Anyways, you can pry that headcanon from my cold dead hands. I might write more little drabbles in the future, not sure if I want to do a full length story or not yet. Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>To say it had been an eventful first few days at school would have been an understatement. Between arguing with his Father to allow him to attend, his new responsibility as Chat Noir, and adjusting to his new schedule? It was all a bit overwhelming. In a good way, of course. But he was all too happy to retreat to the safety of his room once he had gotten home. He was both relieved and disappointed when his Father wasn’t there to greet him. Nathalie had told him that he was busy in his Study, and that he was unavailable to talk to him unless it was urgent.</p><p>The sinking feeling of disappointment in his chest was normal, though somewhat dulled by expectation. He had predicted that this was what was going to happen, and he couldn’t decide on if he was more upset at his accuracy or growing apathy. He decided that it was probably a little of both. He made his way through the barren hallways, before retreating into his room. Once the door was shut behind him, Plagg dramatically exited his jacket pocket so that he could head for his newly made stash of camembert. He really had hit the jackpot with his new Chosen.</p><p>“So. What’s the plan with this whole school thing? You really wanna keep going?” The Kwami asked, green eyes focused on the cheese rather than the young model. His tiny paws grasped onto a piece, before pulling it towards his mouth. He took a bite out of it, beginning to talk with his mouth full. “You seemed kinda overwhelmed with the whole Chloe situation.” Adrien walked over to his bed and sat down, his attention remaining on the small feline. He nearly cringed at the mention of the gum incident, but managed to keep a straight face. While that was a very unpleasant first experience for him to have, at least he had made a friend out of it. Or at least, he thought he did.</p><p>He still wasn’t sure what to make out of this whole ‘friend’ thing. The only friend he had ever had was Chloe, who he was quickly learning wasn’t a very popular person in their class. How she acted out had baffled him, since that clearly wasn’t the Chloe he knew. Sure, she had always been bossy and had a large personality… But she was never outwardly malicious like she had shown herself to be on his first day.</p><p>Still, he was glad that he had righted the wrong with Marinette. She seemed like a nice girl, even if he couldn’t quite make sense of her yet. His Father had always warned him that people outside of a professional setting were hard to understand, though he made it sound like it was something to be fearful of. While a lot of this was new territory for Adrien, he wasn’t really frightened by it. He wanted to make friends, and he had managed that on his first day. He and Nino had exchanged numbers and had been talking pretty much nonstop since school had ended. That had to count for something, right? Hopefully with time, things could be like that with Marinette too.</p><p>“I just need to get used to it, I’ll be fine.” He replied to Plagg, not at all sounding concerned. The Kwami shrugged in response, then shoved the rest of the cheese in his mouth before swallowing obnoxiously. “Suit yourself. I just don’t understand why you would do that when you could just stay here and do whatever you want all day.” Adrien couldn’t help but smile and roll his eyes ever so slightly. He had quickly learned that Plagg was very much like a regular cat, in that he preferred to do nothing but eat and sleep all day. He found it endearing, though that wasn’t the lifestyle he wanted for himself. He had been isolated enough, and was ready for the world and whatever it brought. That included his new life as Chat Noir, and the danger that it brought in addition to his civilian life.</p><p>“I can’t make friends by sitting inside and doing nothing all day, Plagg.” He said, doing his best to sound playful. Plagg quirked an eyebrow at him, then stretched before lazily floating over to and sitting across from him on the bed. “Well, you wouldn’t be doing nothing. You are Chat Noir, after all. There’s nothing wrong with taking a cat nap from time to time.” Adrien chuckled. “And what else would I do all day? Eat that foul smelling cheese and sleep?” The feline gave him a Cheshire Cat grin, flicking his tail. “The smellier the better, Adrien. You better get used to it if you want to keep seeing Ladybug.” He said knowingly, which caused Adrien’s cheeks to flush ever so slightly.</p><p>“I just wish you liked a less smelly cheese. My clothes are starting to smell, and perfume can only cover up so much.” He said, no longer able to retain eye contact with his partner at the mention of Ladybug. Before Plagg could tease him further, his phone vibrated, signaling that it was time for him to begin his next schedule slot. Homework. He was glad for the distraction, standing up as he walked over to his computer desk. “I need to finish my homework before dinner. Let me know if you need anything.” Plagg licked his lips at the mention of the upcoming meal. “Mmmmmmm, dinner.” Was his only reply, to which Adrien rolled his eyes at before beginning on that nights schoolwork.</p><p>While Adrien had only been homeschooled, he was no stranger to homework. Gabriel had made sure to give him plenty of work when he wasn’t engaged in his lessons with Nathalie, most of it well above the current grade level. Because of this, Adrien had finished his schoolwork rather quickly. The speed in which he had finished troubled him, and he had gone through his work several times expecting to find an error. When there was none, he leaned back in his computer chair, and stared as his monitor. It wasn’t often that he finished an activity before its slot ran out. His schedules were always crafted with the average time of completion in mind, never leaving much room for relaxation. Sometimes he thought it was better this way – it gave him structure and repetition. Structure and repetition that were now being threatened by his new superhero life, and its chaotic schedule. And by chaotic schedule, that was just a fancy way of saying that there was none. It was a big change for Adrien, and one that he still needed to adjust to. All things considered, he thought he was doing pretty well… For a boy who lived time block to time block, that was.</p><p>He couldn’t control when he gaze drifted away and then back to his monitor as his mind searched for something to do, his green eyes focusing on the desktop picture of him and his Mother. It had been a few months since she had gone missing now; the wound still somewhat fresh. That was another big adjustment to his life that he needed to get used to, and one that he wished he didn’t have to. He still held out hope that she would return, but he became a little less optimistic as the days she was missing continued to climb. It didn’t really help that his Father had refused to give Adrien any information on her disappearance, which caused him to assume the worst. But that was to be expected of Gabriel; he had always been this emotionally distant and closed off… even before Emilie’s disappearance.</p><p> </p><p>Before he could fall any deeper into his own thoughts, his alarm on his phone went off again. It sent soft vibrations through his desk where it was placed, moving ever so slightly from the disturbance. He blinked a few times, his desktop finally blending back into the background as his phone became the new item of focus. He rolled closer to his desk, using his heels to push himself and his chair foreword. He picked up the phone to silence the alarm, before looking at the time block that his schedule was currently resting on. Dinner. As if automatically regretting the return to a structured routine, he could feel his jaw tightening and his teeth nearly grind against each other as he stood. Anticipation rose in his chest as he stepped away from his chair, shoving his phone into his pocket.</p><p>He never knew why dinner always got him so worked up, or what he was anticipating was going to happen. If he had to take a guess, it was the anticipation of nothing. And while that seemed silly, it wasn’t to Adrien. His schedules and repetition were incredibly important to him, as much as he sometimes hated them. They aided him in anticipating what was coming, as well as allowed him to prepare how he was to act in any upcoming social situations. But dinner was a special case, in terms of the type of social interaction that may or may not happen. It meant that he was to either interact with his Father, or be met by the familiar sight of a long, empty mahogany table. All of its seats but one, vacant and riddled with dust.</p><p>The uncertainty of the probability is what got Adrien worked up. Every. Single. Time. Patterns would suggest that Gabriel was unlikely to join him for his meal, but he could never know for certain. Gabriel Agreste was just as much predictable as he was unpredictable. When it came to his duties as a Father, it was unlikely for him to show any affection or reflect any ordinary “family values”. But at the same time, he would sometimes surprise Adrien with an affectionate embrace or words of encouragement. These instances were rare and often random, always keeping Adrien on his toes and looking for affection where there was likely to be none.</p><p>It was for this reason that dinner was a tense time. While he knew his Father was unlikely to be present, there was still the possibility that he would make an appearance. And then, how would he react? Whenever Adrien spoke or acted in a way that his Father disapproved of, it usually led to a dismissive attitude on Gabriel’s end. So, what should he be prepared for? Should he be prepared to have a conversation about his day like a normal son and Father would, or should he be mentally preparing himself for a “business meeting” of sorts? Adrien Agreste the Model Son wore many faces, none of them his own. It was always a challenge to choose the correct one, especially when it was the one that was greeting his Father.</p><p>Deciding on a more structured and formal mentality, Adrien let out a sigh as he prepared to leave his room and make the trek through the empty halls and to the dining room. Before he did that, Plagg floated up from his resting spot on Adrien’s bed and cleared his throat. He caught the little black dot moving from the corner of his eye, his focus ripped away from his own mental reconditioning. He had been so hyperfocused on Schrodinger’s Agreste, that he had forgotten all about his Kwami. It would take a while for Plagg to become fully integrated into Adrien’s thoughts and patterns.</p><p>“I don’t understand why you always get so upset when dinner time comes. I know you don’t have the best food, and it does have a distinct lack of cheese… but it’s still food.” The feline said, floating over to Adrien before sitting on his shoulder with a somewhat curious expression on his face. While Plagg had been in the possession of many holders in the past, Adrien was his first Chosen that he had a hard time reading. Both in terms of his actions, as well as his cues. Though it seemed just as well, since Adrien didn’t seem to know what he was doing half the time either, or how he came across to others. Maybe his kitten just needed a few gentle pushes in the right direction? He really wasn’t good at this encouragement and positive reinforcement crap; that was more Tikki’s thing than it was his.</p><p>“It’s not the food, Plagg.” Adrien said after a moment, apologetically rubbing his finger against the forgotten cat’s cheek. Plagg leaned into the affectionate touch, but kept his expression enigmatic. “I never know if my Father will show up or not. Even if he says he will, he usually never does. Nathalie says that it’s because he’s busy, but I don’t understand why he can’t just take a few minutes to spend some time with me.” Plagg’s tail flicked as his green eyes focused in on Adrien’s expression. Again, it was confused and giving off mixed signals.</p><p>“Why does it matter if he’s there or not?” He asked, trying to better understand the relationship between his Chosen and his Guardian. From what he could tell, it was mostly negative. “Food is food. And as far as I’m concerned, it probably tastes better without Mr. Fashion breathing down your neck.” The blonde seemed frustrated with that conclusion, but had a hard time rebuking. It was true that his meals were peaceful with Gabriel absent, and far less tense. Though that didn’t inherently make them better, did it? He didn’t know. Even Adrien couldn’t make sense of his relationship with his remaining parent.</p><p> </p><p>“Because I need to prepare for how to act if he is there. I never know how to act around him.” He said with absolute honesty, seemingly stating it as if it were commonplace in Father and son relationships. That earned a quirked brow from Plagg, a soft chuff escaping from his slightly parted mouth. “You’re a hard one to figure out Kid, you know that?” Plagg said, pulling away from Adrien’s finger as he floated off of his shoulder and instead floated in front of him a few inches away at eye level. “I don’t really understand what your relationship with your Father is just yet, but what I do know is that you’re going to spoil your apatite if you keep overthinking it. Just walk down there, and then decide what you’re going to do. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… be a little more reckless.”</p><p>Adrien blinked a little bit, the idea of waltzing downstairs without having chosen a mindset to enter with caused him a bit of discomfort. Plagg was easily able to pick up on this expression, raising his paws defensively. “Look Kid. I’m not saying to run down there with your pants around your ankles. But what I am saying, is that it would do you some good to decide what you’re going to do once you’ve been given all the information. What would Chat Noir do?” That last sentence seemed to resonate with him, and he visibly began to relax. Put in that context, it did make a bit more sense. As Chat Noir, his mind was still consistently analyzing the situation and every little detail to predict certain actions or events. But, he also wasn’t allowing the anticipation to paralyze him. He was simply acting on instinct, and reacting to what was thrown his way as it came. Why that came naturally to Chat Noir and not to him while he was in his civilian form, he didn’t know. But perhaps it was because while Chat Noir knew who he was and didn’t have the expectations of others weighing him down… Adrien Agreste did.</p><p> </p><p>“So… You’re saying to treat it like a mission?” He questioned slowly, as if he were afraid of disappointing his Kwami with his misunderstanding of the question. Plagg gave him an unamused, half-lidded look. “It’s a plate of food not a battlefield, Adrien.” He said deadpan, before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes momentarily. “But if it helps you to relax, then yes. Think of it as a mission. That seems like something that would have the opposite effect, but who am I to judge?” At this point, it was whatever worked. If looking at this like a mission helped, then that was good enough for Plagg.</p><p>It would take a while for him to learn what made Adrien tick, and it was a challenge that Plagg wasn’t particularly looking foreword to. He liked it when he had easily manipulated holders who would give him lots of cheese at the drop of a hat, and not question his actions. And while there was no lack of cheese with this one, there was a distinct lack of social awareness and communication on the civilian side of things. How was he supposed to know how to schmoose up to him if he didn’t even know any of his quirks? They were going to need to work on that.</p><p>“Okay, I’ll try that. Thanks Plagg.” Adrien said simply, opening up his jacket just enough so that Plagg could fly and nestle into the pocket inside. Once he was settled and Adrien could feel the tiny form resting against his chest, he made his way downstairs. Through the empty and dimly lit hallways, and towards the dining hall. As he got closer, he could feel his pulse begin to quicken. Each step closer to the door seemed more painful than the last, until the pulse in his ears became deafening upon reaching the door. Instead of hesitating, he pushed the heavy wooden doors opening to reveal… an empty room. Well, empty in terms of human occupation.</p><p> </p><p>Adrien felt his heart sink into his stomach as his pulse began to slow. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, really. As he had established earlier, the patterns would suggest that this would happen. Still, he was both disappointed and relieved that he was right. Suddenly feeling drained both emotionally and physically, he walked over to the empty table and pulled out his chair to sit down. His plate was already there and occupied by food, though the model found it hard to find his apatite. Still, this was normal. He picked up the fork, poking at the cooked tilapia on his plate a few times before cutting off a chunk of it with his knife.</p><p>He had been so focused on the current task, that he hadn’t even noticed the distinct lack of Nathalie… Or the note on the table which took her place. He placed the forkful of fish in his mouth, before noticing the piece of paper and picking it up. He carefully unfolded it, then read its contents.</p><p>Adrien,<br/>
Your Father needed my assistance on his most recent project. I will be absent from dinner tonight, as will Mr. Agreste. Please make sure to eat your dinner, and remember that you have a photo shoot scheduled tomorrow after school for 5:00pm. I trust school is going well. Do let me know if there is any problem with the curriculum, and I will get it sorted out.<br/>
Sincerely,<br/>
Nathalie</p><p>The note caused Adrien to frown, but he simply folded the piece of paper back up and placed it back on the table. As he continued to pick away at his dinner, each bite sat heavier and heavier in his stomach. He quickly shoved the remainder of the bland food into his mouth and down his throat, abruptly standing up as he moved to leave the table. The lonely atmosphere was suffocating, the dozens of completed family portraits that were hanging on their walls seemed to mock him. Before the painful awareness of the silence got to him, he turned and left the room. The sounds of his footsteps echoed through the barren and unoccupied space, only contributing to his deteriorating emotional state. He just needed to get back to his room, where it was quiet and where he was in control.</p><p>He quickened his pace, until he was almost running. Though it wasn’t as if it mattered, there was no one there to tell him not to. He reached his room, entering post haste as he shut the door behind him. Once the outside stimulants were shutoff on the other side of the door, it was only then that he could begin to relax. Adrien’s hand absentmindedly found its way to his ring, and he began to fiddle with it. Sliding it back and forth on his finger as he stared down at the ground. Plagg squirmed in Adrien’s pocket, but it didn’t seem to draw a reaction from him. He crawled out of his hiding space, before floating out and into the open of the large room.</p><p>“Well, that could’ve gone a lot worse.” Plagg said, reading the obvious negative energy coming from his partner. “And hey, at least you didn’t get lectured on how it was irresponsible of you to basically force your way into school.” Adrien knew the Kwami was trying to help, but right now he needed less stimuli. Not more. “Not now, Plagg.” He said shortly, continuing to fiddle with the ring as he kept his eyes trained on the ground. Plagg flicked his tail as he attempted to examine Adrien’s body language. Still, he respected his need for silence, giving the chatter a break. After a moment of intense staring, his eyes narrowed and he floated away from his Chosen and back towards the bed. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to lay down on one of the two pillows. While Plagg was abrasive and generally helped himself to Adrien’s belongings to entertain himself with, something told him it wasn’t the best time to test his new partners limits.</p><p>After a few minutes of silence and ring fiddling, Adrien’s attention was finally brought back up from the floor and to the rest of the room around him. He remembered Plagg was there and that their last interaction wasn’t so pleasant, and so he made his way over to his bed and sat down. Plagg felt the movement from the blonde sitting down on the bed, and so he slowly opened one eye to acknowledge that he was aware of his presence. “I’m sorry Plagg, I didn’t mean to cut you off before. It’s just… a lot is changing. Sometimes it too much for me to process.” Both of Plagg’s eyes were now opened, giving the conversation his full attention as he sat up.</p><p>He seemed to think carefully for a moment, one of his ears twitching. “Don’t worry about it.” He said eventually, his voice taking on its usual playful and easy going tone. “It happens to the best of us.” Before the two could share a moment, Adrien’s phone was going off again. As if unaware of a potential bonding interaction, he took his phone from his pocket to look at his schedule. The feline waited patiently, green eyes looking between the device and its holder. “Well, it looks like it’s time to get ready for bed.” He said finally, to which Plagg seemed a bit perturbed at. “Do you always do whatever your phone tells you to do?” He said, near under his breath.</p><p>Adrien’s gaze hesitantly moved to meet Plagg’s, then he shrugged. “Not always. Sometimes I’m late, or I’m too focused on what I’m doing-” Plagg frowned, interrupting Adrien before he went on an overly long explanation. “It was a rhetorical question.” He stated. Adrien blinked. “Oh.” That was then that the feline realized that Adrien wasn't purposely being rude or awkward around him, it was just the way that he acted by default. He was kid who grew up isolated and controlled, and clearly had absolutely no social skills whatsoever. He had figured that this may be due to his clear sheltered upbringing, but it seemed as if it went further beyond that. Even if he needed to be more patient with this Chosen than the ones of the past, he had a feeling that they would get along just fine. After a few moments of awkward silence, Plagg sighed contently. “It's alright kid, we'll work on it." He may not be as outwardly compassionate as Tikki, but it didn't mean that he couldn't at least try to be patient and understanding. Adrien deserved at least that from him.</p>
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